1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a modular resonator.
2. Description of Related Art
Typical air induction systems include an air inlet tube, an air box, and a clean air tube. Many of these air induction systems also contain hardware to address 1) noise attenuation, 2) filtration, 3) flow performance and sometimes 4) emission control. Noise attenuation is typically addressed with the use of resonators and by the sizing of the inlet orifice. Filtration is addressed by the design of the filter element, the treatment applied to that media, and the material used for that media. Flow performance is addressed by the sizing of the inlet orifice and the overall geometry of the air induction system. Emission control is addressed by inserting hydrocarbon adsorbing materials directly into the flow stream of the induction system (or parallel to the stream in LEV II cases). Devices for these four types of functional attributes are designed specifically for an individual combination of the engine, intake manifold, and vehicle. In addition, the packaging of the devices may be further varied to accommodate the under hood environment of the vehicle. However, a vehicle often has more than one engine or intake manifold available based on the vehicle powertrain options. The various powertrain options may have different performance characteristics, which may drive the need for powertrain-specific air induction system designs. Also, a common powertrain may be used in different vehicle applications with different functional requirements. As such, a new unique system is packaged for each additional application and powertrain option.
Air induction systems typically have resonators added to either or both the inlet and outlet ducts to address engine induction noise. However, the standing waves within the air box may not be adequately addressed due to the location of these resonators in the induction system. The orifice size of the inlet tube controls the overall noise emitted from the air induction system and also influences flow restriction for the system. To reduce flow restriction, the inlet orifice is generally increased. However, a large inlet orifice also increases noise levels. Therefore, there is a tradeoff between the flow, noise levels, and package availability. The filtration needs for a specific powertrain option are dependent primarily on the maximum air flow rate of the engine and the expected driving conditions of the end customer. The maximum air flow rate is directly related to the displacement of the engine. Therefore, the filtration requirements may be powertrain-specific. Emission control as it relates to air induction system design may also be different for one specific powertrain option or vehicle compared to another.
In view of the above, it is apparent that there exists a need for an improved modularity in air induction system design.